A Disney World employee shares what it's really like to work inside Cinderella's Castle

Debbi Sacleux is the proprietor of Cinderella's Royal Table at Walt Disney World. Courtesy of Disney.

The magic of Disney wouldn't be the same without the cast members who make it all possible, including the manager of Cinderella's Royal Table, Debbi Sacleux.

Cinderella's Royal Table is a dining experience located inside Cinderella's Castle at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Sacleux has worked at a lot of places throughout Disney, but Cinderella's Royal Table is, by far, her favorite.

When you walk into Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, you know there are going to be memories made, and magic to be had. One cast member behind some of the magic at the park is Debbi Sacleux, whose role is the proprietor of Cinderella's Royal Table. Debbi has worked in the food service industry for 35 years and started working with Disney Parks and Resorts in 1993. With some incredible stories to share and years of memories, we sat down with her to chat about her amazing career and some of her most cherished memories.

Debbi started her career with Disney out of necessity when she moved to France. "Once I got an opportunity to work for the company, I fell in love with it and never wanted to leave," she explained. Sacleux started with Euro Disney as a guest services manager but was then promoted to "It's A Small World" manager with the reorganization of Disneyland Paris. While she did move back to the United States, her Disney journey wasn't even close to being complete.

When Debbi arrived back in the US, she had the opportunity to interview for a guest services managing role. "Even though it was a step down from the role I had at Disneyland Paris, it didn't matter since my goal was to get to Walt Disney World, work hard and get promoted. I started here in August 1997, and by January 1998, I had been promoted back to the role I had before, and have been an area manager (proprietor) since," explained Sacleux.

Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

So where all has one of the hardest working women at Walt Disney World worked? Her list is long, but impressive: Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort, multiple locations at Disney's Boardwalk Inn, Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, Hollywood Brown Derby, Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano, and Pizza Planet at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Out Door Foods at Disney's Animal Kingdom, and currently, Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom. But which one is her favorite? When asked, Debbi immediately responded with Cinderella's Royal Table. From guest interaction and seeing return guests year after year, there's nothing like working in Cinderella's Castle.

Guests at Cinderella's Royal Table are coined as "cherished friends." Once you walk up the stairs to the main dining room and are greeted by your waitstaff and Debbi, you'll understand why this term is appropriate. You walk in and instantly feel the warmth and excitement from the cast members who work there, and are greeted with a huge smile from Debbi, who can make anyone feel the joy of not only the restaurant, but life and the memories made at Walt Disney World.

Guests can dine inside Cinderella's Castle. Courtesy of Disney

For Debbi, seeing young princesses and princes faces light up when Disney royalty walk in the room is priceless. Often times, this is the moment when parents and grandparents are seeing Disney through the eyes of a child, and the generations in each family are passing down the magic of Disney. Each time a guest visits Cinderella's Royal Table, the magic is going to be different. It's a restaurant for everyone, no matter your age!

One moment that Debbi would want to relive over and over again happened while she was working at Coral Reef at Epcot. A young man called the restaurant to set up a surprise engagement for his girlfriend. Without knowing what her boyfriend had set up, the young lady arranged a surprise birthday celebration for him. Coral Reef has huge floor to ceiling aquarium tanks thanks to being located in The Living Seas Pavilion. When the diver swam over to the window with a sign that said "Happy Birthday" the young man was surprised, not only because he thought the restaurant had gotten his message wrong, but also because he quickly remembered it actually was his birthday, and graciously took the celebratory message. Then the diver flipped the sign over to say "Will you marry me?" and the surprise was turned on the girlfriend — and the rest is history.

Cast members at Cinderella's Royal Table are no stranger to orchestrating engagements for couples. Courtesy of Disney

Engagements are a common occurrence at Cinderella's Royal Table, and Debbi loves being able to orchestrate them for couples. What makes engagements at this particular restaurant really special is the fact that no two couples will see each other get engaged, meaning that each pair can enjoy their own major moment. The engagement celebration comes with a glass slipper reveal of the ring and a photographer who, 90% of the time, guests don't realize is there to capture the magical moment. Debbi has stopped counting how many engagements she's coordinated at this point, but she did mention that one occurs every single day at the castle. She calls her team "tools for magic" and we have to agree. Some of the cast members who have worked at Cinderella's Royal Table have been there for over 40 years, and have become legends at the restaurant.

So what's next for Debbi? She loves Cinderella's Royal Table and doesn't plan on leaving. She's found her Disney home, building relationships with her cast and guests, and making memorable magical experiences each day.